New Look for the Vern with Pelham Underway

News — By Marissa Moran on November 8, 2009 at 11:05 pm

Since the acquisition of the 25-acre Foxhall property known as GW’s Mount Vernon Campus in 2004, the University’s attention toward programming and student life on the Vern has steadily increased every year. The Vern currently houses approximately 400 freshmen, offers a range of academic classes, and Mount Vernon Campus Life (MVCL) hosts events and activities daily. But students continue to refer to the campus as a quieter, more traditional alternative to the hustle and bustle of Foggy Bottom.

One year from now, the landscape and dynamic of the Vern is expected to change drastically. A new building that will include undergraduate residence rooms and a campus life center is planned to open in fall 2010. Currently under construction, the building will replace the old Pelham Hall, which housed 200 students in single and double rooms.

“This will result in a 40 percent increase over the largest number of people that have ever lived here,” said Dean of Freshmen Fred Sigel, whose office is located on Mount Vernon. He also lives in the Foxhall neighborhood, across the street from the Vern gates. “I am delighted… more residents will be helpful to the enterprise here.”

Siegel explained that the new building will be much more than a residence hall, with student activity space located on the two lower levels below the residence space on the first through fourth floors. The lower levels will be open to all students and are intended to encourage activity in the arts, as the Mount Vernon administration has collaborated with the Student Theater Council and the Theater Department to accommodate requests for space from artistic groups. However, the space has not yet been claimed by any particular groups and will be open to any students that wish to use it.

“Some three years ago, the University began considering the redevelopment of what was then Pelham Hall,” said Elan Schnitzer, marketing coordinator for event and special services with MVCL. “At roughly the same time, it became apparent that there was a demand amongst students for certain facilities and resources to which they had limited or no access previously.”

“This is on par with what you find in the corporate world,” said Peter Chew, Program Manager for the building. “The challenge will be using the space,” as many resources will be available for student creativity and imagination, he said.

The campus life center plans include:

• Black box theater
• Studio Art room
• Dance studio
• Music practice rooms
• Recording Studio
• Digital Media room
• Fitness Center
• Meeting and work rooms for student use
• Dining Hall to replace the current Ames Dining Hall

Jennifer Solt, associate director of MVCL, said that all of the precise arrangements and programming decisions for the space are still in the works, but “it is the students’ space to use first.” Chew said there will be state-of-the-art technology, including flat screen televisions, wireless internet, a sound system, and a projector for formal and informal student purposes.

“We want to allow students to work cooperatively, comfortably, with the most cutting edge technology,” said Solt. Gelman Library System and Academic Technology Services are collaborating with MVCL to decide on the exact technology.

The four above-ground floors of the new building will be residence rooms with 287 beds organized as four single rooms in a suite that includes a small kitchen, living space, and one bathroom. The new housing will be available to freshmen and sophomores, making it the only residence hall besides Mitchell Hall on Foggy Bottom to house both classes together.

“I’ve received positive feedback from sophomores and juniors who want to live in the new Pelham,” said Siegel. “This will bring us to close to 100 upperclassmen on the whole campus. It will be a great addition to the sophomore inventory here.”

Chew said the building design plans have been submitted for the gold, or highest, certification under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building government rating system. It will take after South Hall, the new senior residence hall opened in August, in that it will have bike racks, recycling centers, low water usage, and reuses the bricks from the old Pelham Hall for the new exterior. The building is estimated to be completed and ready for student move-in next fall.

“This will be spectacular,” said Siegel.

Tags: Dean Siegel, Mount Vernon Campus, Mount Vernon Campus Life, Pelham Redevelopment Project